Kiss Deep is sixth and
final volume in the first series of Sheila K Cameron reissues. There are
nineteen tracks here encompassing all the styles she has essayed over the years
beginning and ending with the old blues sound of ‘Universal Energy’. From there
she moves to the rich pop of ‘On The Road To Haida Gwaii’ (her home off the
coast of western Canada) and the slightly quirky ‘Another Dream’, a
clever, almost spoken lyric over a rolling piano backing. It’s a frustration
dream, the like of which we’ve all had, of being unable to get to where we want
to be.

‘Did I Do Something Wrong
Again’ is piano driven country, a style continued in ‘So You Said’, a song that
reminds me of Eleanor McEvoy at her most acerbic. The thing about Sheila is
that you never know what to expect so after these band numbers we have the solo
acoustic ‘You Tell Me Nothing’ with its undertones of Weimar cabaret. ‘Let’s
Put Love In The Back Seat – For A While’ is a spoken word piece incanted over a
percussion accompaniment; yet another Cameron style.

Kiss Deep is probably the
most complete of the reissues. It has a sense of continuity that some of the
others lack and the benefit of being completed songs with the likes of Brian
McNeill and Fraser Spiers mentioned in the credits. If you’re unfamiliar with
SKC’s work – and I was before these reissues appeared – this is probably the
place to start. Follow it with Alone On The Road before venturing any deeper –
it’s not an easy journey but you’ll find it very rewarding.